Posts [ 3 ]

Topic: Sector 7

Checked out SECTOR 7 (on Youtube) last night. It's your typical "stranded & confined people vs monster from the depths" type of flick. The movie borrows inspiration entirely from films like Sean Cunningham's DEEP STAR SIX ('89), Stephen Sommers DEEP RISING ('98), and that even includes the design of the slouching, walrus-like gelatinous beast that menaces, chomps and chews the cast with its quad-jawed mouth that looks like fleshy pin cushion full of dagger-like barbs.

The film has a crew aboard an ocean oil rig falling under the menace of the aforementioned creature. All the standard character cut outs are here; a goofy guy, macho guy; concerned med-lab girl; a machina girl (the lead) who wears a man's wife beater; the cowardly captain; and former captain who comes on board as the wise old salt. The CGI use is absolutely rampant, and I don't think there was anything on screen that wasn't CG'd aside from the cast and maybe a few interiors. Everything else is green-screened to death making the picture bold, vivid, and perfectly lit and shiny... and obviously CG'd. Even the dirty rig and filthy interiors seems to shine and glisten in heaven-sent lighting patterns that only CG can manipulate. It was very interesting to look at, and I'm kind of torn as to whether I like it or not. You can certainly see "everything" very clearly. My first thought was, this is exactly what video games are goig to look like within a decade.

Story wise, Sector 7 moves at a predictable clip with its predictable characters and predictable set ups, at least until the over done ending, when the film just goes on and on and on, and the monster seemingly never dies despite our heroines best attacks. It just keeps coming and coming, and coming back, chasing our heroine around the rig into every possible corner until she finally manages to out wit it. And thank God she had a motorcycle.

Overall, I'd give the film a 8.5 / 10. It's a total bubble gum sci-fi monster flick right down to the bubblegum graphics and monster excess in the 3rd reel and the heroine trying to outrun the beast on a motorcycle (on and around the oil rig!)) But that is the magic of Sector 7; it's not boring and it's over the top. Two very respectable ingredients that work in perfect harmony in any sea monster/stranded people action flick. And while the characters lack the dimension and enjoyability factor of either those in Deep Star Six or Deep Rising, they are sketched well enough to keep the film moving at even keel until the monster decides to start eating them and throw the action throttle full out.